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The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st Century

In the harsh, unforgiving American frontier, in the vast wilderness that is Wyoming, a ruthless gang of cutthroats is ripping a bloody swath of death and destruction through the territory. No one can stop them. . .no one, that is, except for a legendary mountain man named Matt Jensen.

Massacre at Powder River

The year is 1884. A 10-year-old British boy has come to visit his uncle's Wyoming spread, just as the vicious Yellow Kerchief Gang has the ranch under siege. Outgunned and outmatched, a British rancher is willing to pay $5000 for help. That is more than enough money to bring Matt Jenson into the fray. A huge, bloody gunfight, fueled by betrayal, erupts at the Powder River. But Matt has to shoot carefully. The Yellow Kerchief Gang has a hostage--the British lad named Winnie. And Matt has history on his hands, because Winnie Churchill must survive... Fifty years later Winston Churchill will fight a war of his own--carrying a Matt Jenson .44 shell in his pocket and a gunfighter's spirit in his soul.

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

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About the author

William W. Johnstone

1,034 books1,392 followers
William W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.

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5 stars
200 (56%)
4 stars
96 (27%)
3 stars
49 (13%)
2 stars
3 (<1%)
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3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Garth Mailman.
2,536 reviews10 followers
August 13, 2018
As guilty pleasures go I’m still indulging. Book 2 in the series was unavailable at either of my libraries as will be Book 10. The yellow kerchief gang numbering at least 10 and operating at Powder River the massacre in question seems set.

Wyoming lives up to its rep as a wild west haven for rustlers where if local law enforcement were not in cahoots with them seemed powerless to control them.

Inserting a preteen Winston Churchill and his mother into the mix strikes an odd note.

The series includes characters who were later born sons of noble families who were sent to the new world to get them out of the hair of their older siblings who would inherit the family titles and wealth. Since they were often sent monthly cheques from home to ensure they stayed away there were referred to as remittance men and since they often lived dissolute unproductive lives many referred to them as croakers after the grasshopper from the fable with the ant who worked while the grasshopper or cricket lazed all day
Profile Image for RICHARD STENTON.
283 reviews5 followers
May 30, 2021
Matt Jensen is out to safe good from evil in this latest episode of the Matt Jensen series. Here Matt gets a letter from someone he has never met but a plea to good help him save his ranch from rustlers as well as a draft for $5,000. Matt takes up the challenge and finds he is set in an adventure with Winston Churchill who is traveling to this person's ranch at the age of 10 with his mother who is the sister of the rancher in question. In this tale Matt battles many evil people who are encouraged to come help the evil rancher trying to steal his friends ranch and during this time Matt disposes of many. It is a very fast and interesting read not to be missed.
283 reviews1 follower
October 26, 2023
Matt learns that a brother from the orphanage along with his family has been murdered. Matt quickly avenges the crime with nothing to do but roam he gets a letter from a British rancher requesting his services along with a 5,000 bank draft. Matt makes his way to the ranch where he learns about the yellow Kerchief Gang and how they are murdering and taking cattle.

Matt takes the job and he slowly learns about the gang during the process there is a price put on his head. Can Matt survive the price on his head and put an end to the gang all by himself? One must read the book to learn these things.
Profile Image for Nolan.
1,045 reviews3 followers
December 7, 2022
Interesting story, although it was so unreal of Matt Jensen getting shot at so many times by so many bad guys that he never gets injured. Oh wait, that's right I remembered, a bullet knocks off a good-sized rock, hits his shoulder and he feels it all the way down to his fingers of his right hand, the tingling. However, he still can shoot his rifle and pistol using his right hand. 🙄
1,495 reviews4 followers
July 27, 2019
Superman strikes again! Hopefully he don’t gain weight or his head don’t get any bigger, hundreds of bullets always missing him by 1 inch. Did like the Winston Churchill connection.
2 reviews
February 14, 2021
A good read. Enjoyed having "Winnie" and "Ike" in the book. They needed Matt with them and the War would have ended a lot sooner. On to book # 8.
1 review
June 15, 2025
Fun read

This was a very good book to read. I couldn’t stop reading. This book was full of unexpected surprises that Matt got into.
2,490 reviews46 followers
February 23, 2012
Matt Jensen takes a job from Lord Moreton Frewen, an Englishman living ib the States and the boss of The Powder River Cattle Company. He has been plagued by the Yellow kerchief gang, a bunch of rustlers bossed by Sam Logan. Stealing cattle and murdering his cowhands, Frewen's investors were getting restless. $5,000 is the fee and that brigs Matt there.

Right away, people are trying to kill him, but the last mountain man is making inroads in stopping the gang.

The attempts increased, a $5,000 bounty pt out on him.

But when the son of Frewen's sister-in-law, the apir visiting from England, is grabbed to use as bait to draw Matt in, he gets mad and goes after the gang.

You see, the ten year old boy, has a greater destiny, unknown of course now, with history. His name is Winnie Churchill and , at this point, he wants nothing ore than to be a cowboy.

I enjoyed this one, though there were a couple of problems. I don't know the author behind the J. A. Johnstone house name on this series, but he spends too much time with other characters and not Matt Jensen. The real force behind the yellow kerchief gang is not hard to figure, even if the identity is given up very early in the book.

Not a bad book, but it could have been better.
Profile Image for Rob Smith, Jr..
1,297 reviews35 followers
June 28, 2016
Now than I'm well into multi-dozens of Johnstone Clan read, i again come across the British ex-pat wanting to make it big in US story. This one, though, is a switch in which there are 2! A variation of other Johnstone Clan books. This book is very similar with very similar encounters, characters and outcome. A bit of a disappointment to feel like I'm re-reading a Johnstone Clan book.

The characters, as always are interesting, if not too similar to others in Johnstone Clan books. The inclusion of a historic figure is interesting but more as a plot device than to tell a story. This is basically an older Johnstone Clan book that includes Winston Churchill.

The setting is not as well told as in other books.

Still, this is a well written book and fun to read...and if you aren't scarfing up all of the Johnstone books like me... so...

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of 10 points.
Profile Image for Steven Einspahr.
1 review
January 21, 2015
Excitement all the way threw like the rest of his book

There are few spelling errors and grammar errors but over all I enjoyed the book..
Once it got going it didn't ever really stop.
Profile Image for Tori.
143 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2014
This one weaves in not only history, but Winston Churchill....great read. Even though it is long, it wasn't a "slow mover " so the length wasn't bad at all.
862 reviews2 followers
January 5, 2017
Great!

Another Johnstone Masterpiece! Kept me on the edge of my seat by being exciting and interesting. I am going to read all of his books!
327 reviews1 follower
October 30, 2020
liked the book easy read, liked the new hero mountain man baddass matt jensen and how the story line included winston churchhill in the plotline . A different western style.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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